One of a kind student = Forever remembered

Have you ever….

Have you ever had a 6^th grader throw chairs at you? CHECK

Have you ever been kicked by a student? CHECK

How about pencils, pens, and staples aimed and thrown at you? CHECK

Maybe even CD’s and plastic CD cases spiraling through the air towards you? CHECK

Have you ever been called “bleeeep beeepin beeeep bleep!!” ? CHECK

Have you ever had a 7^th grade boy smell so bad that you throw up in your mouth? CHECK

How about having a student lock himself in a classroom and not come out? CHECK

Have you ever seen a student (the one child you are totally responsible for) throw his cup of pears in the face of the principal? CHECK

Have you ever been surrounded by the most amazing people who lift you up each day? CHECK

How about teachers being soo supportive and kind? CHECK

Maybe even loving your job so much that you continue to wake up each morning knowing full well that you might come into contact with flying objects? CHECK

If any of you have had experience with any of these too…BLESS YOU!

I have just complete my first official job at a local middle school here in Corvallis, and have had the time of my life working one-on-one with a 6^th grade Autistic boy and in the afternoons working hand-in-hand with severely low IQ 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders. I am so lucky to have found something that I LOVE doing each day. From the above ‘have you ever’ you would think I would quit after my first encounter….but oddly it is the most amazing and rewarding work I could ever imagine. Never was there a single dull moment in the last 6 months.

The people I worked with are total saints! I am so much better as an educator, person, and future mother from working with these amazing people who have taught me so much. Here are a few pictures of these incredible people that I have been surrounded with.

I am so sad so have said goodbye to them all, but I am so excited about what is to come in the fall with Graduate School and hopefully creating a classroom someday like the ones I have been a part of.

What I would do with out my ladies...thank heavens for them...and Mike!

LRC, Life Skills, and CLASS program all together

Lisa ( each day I would walk into work and she would say, "Ash, are you SURE you want to work in special education?"), Patrick, Christine, and me...the power 4!

Bitter Sweet

Graduation. It was much anticipated, and there was so so much time and effort involved in the last four years of my life towards accomplishing this goal. One which was so important to me, so I only found it fitting to have my biggest fans right by my side on the big day. To everyone who has helped me along the loooong road...Thank you! Truly, there is no way I could have done it with out each of you. There is a quote somewhere out there that says something like, each person who comes into your life leaves a footprint in our soul, well I can attest to this. Each person, no matter the significance has helped shaped me into the individual I have become. I know that sound totally cliche, but it is so true. Thank you to all of you out there...

But wait, the journey is NOT over! Graduate school beings in a few months...so here is to having a FABULOUS summer and enjoying no work, all play, and sun tans!

CHEERS!!

Wahoo! I did it!!

My Number 1 Fan!

My Other Number 1 Fan!

My In-Laws, soo supportive!

Mr. Wisdom himself...thank you for always giving me the BEST advice!

Alllllll the graduates...some 5,000!

I felt like a football player rushing the field! So many people!

Just a little thought...

So I've been thinking lately, just reflecting on a few things in my life lately and this is something I came across the other day in my old computer that I used through out my college career. As I began browsing I came across this that one of my good friends who played softball at osu had written about being an athlete in college. I thought it would be cool to put it up on my blog because I have a lot of friends who are still in the midst of college sports and I know that they are going through all of this and would totally understand. So for those of you who arent big into sports, sorry! But Im sure you might be able to find a parallel somewhere in your life :) Anyways, here it is! Hope you enjoy it...

An Athlete...


It’s when you’re so exhausted. So stressed out and burdened with work that you feel you are being crushed under every single engagement you’ve ever had. The weight is extreme. It is unexplainable. It is so heavy it seems only a miracle can get you out. It’s when you lose absolutely every bit of energy you have, when you give every bit of time you have, to improve and better your knowledge and yourself, only to discover that your efforts fall short of your expectations and theirs. When you are so tired, so delirious from lack of sleep that you cannot remember what day of the week it is. It is when you exude so much physical energy in the betterment of your second job as an athlete, that every blood vessel in your grave eyes make themselves known through the best of crimson colors. When you cannot stand up straight anymore. When even jeans and a t-shirt is too much effort, and cotton sweat pants become your wardrobe. When injury after injury after injury makes you question your own youth and you begin to wonder how long you will be able to survive. When the torment from your self expectation to perform begins to build so much that you know nothing will ever be good enough. When you realize the path you are on will never end. When this life becomes questionable. When we feel as though we cannot go on any longer…we realize what it’s all for. For those 75 points…those 90 minutes…that 1 hour…those 10 seconds. We become who we always were inside. We find our calling. We are reminded why it is that we play. For the miracle points. For the plays that cannot explain themselves. For a chance to live the dream. For the moments that will never come again. And when we finish, we leave it all out on that wood court, that clean field, that smooth water, that hard track. And this makes that arena sacred. It gives our life purpose. Because it helps us escape who we have to be in the real world, and feeds the hunger that makes us athletes.

Thank gooooooodness for Skype!!

As you all may know by now, Kyle is long gone! Just kidding, (kinda) he has made his way to Baltimore for the next 10 weeks, which doesn't sound all too terrible...but let me tell you- its awful! I hate that fact that we cant be together at night and have dinner together, and me taking waaay too long of showers in the morning so that he runs out of hot water, and having fun laughing, and most importantly just having each other to talk to and build each other up. I guess this is just what has to happen right now though...so whats that old saying? Ah, yes...I believe it is "Suck it up Ash!" It will all be over soon enough, and (hopefully) I won't ever have to do it again!

Tonight was GREAT! I am soooo thankful for Skype in this generation!! Needless to say its not the same as having a face-to-face conversation, I'll take what I can get...and it is good enough for me! Kyle and I will be doing this EVERY night and taking full advantage of the F.R.E.E. phone calls.

It was a VERY busy last week with him trying to take finals 2 weeks early and ontop of that complete the usual homework loads. Needless to say, he managed to survive. Great Job! But even more exciting was that he won an award for the TOP SENIOR AT OREGON STATE! Which means, a nice dinner, dessert, getting to dress up, and be a supportive wife and tag along in going to the award banquet. Great job KROB!!!

Well folks, there you have it! Thats what new with the Robinsons! Hope everyone is doing well, and that this awful weather will turn around soon! ITS SUMMA TYME!!!

At the corvallis Farmers Market

End of the year BBQ with a few of Kyle's engineering classmates

Kyle and I with Dr. Skip (one of Kyles professors)

The famous guy himself...rockin' the cane after getting the award